Nov

10

I wrote on Nov. 4 about a new era in the Maldives, but it appears that the new era may be something else again. According to multiple press reports, new president-elect Mohamed Nasheed wants to buy a new homeland for his people to give them a place to go if the sea rises as predicted because of global warming.

The UN forecasts that the sea could rise as much as two feet by 2100, and since most of the Maldives is less than five feet above sea level (many areas are less than three feet), life will be precarious there.

Nasheed intends to set aside money from tourism in a sovereign wealth fund to buy land for his citizens, ideally in a country with a similar culture and climate. So far he’s approached India, Sri Lanka, and Australia. All appear to be open to the idea.

So now my personal interest in seeing the Maldives has gone up a notch: I need to get there not just while I can, but while they’re still there.